US State Department Report Flags Gaps in Guyana’s Trafficking Response

Guyana’s trafficking investigations fell to 16 in 2025 from 31 in 2024, while funding for victim services and prevention was sharply cut, even as the U.S. kept the country at Tier 1. The report warned that weak regulation of labour recruiters and foreign-worker sites, especially Chinese-linked projects, leaves workers exposed. It also said 390 victims were identified, but only 25 were referred to care.

Guyana remained in Tier 1 in the US State Department’s 2026 Trafficking in Persons Report, but the report says victim protection weakened, with fewer investigations, fewer referrals to services, lower funding, and some shelter closures. It counted 390 victims in 2025, mostly foreigners, and warned that shrinking support and slow prosecutions could undermine future progress.

Guyana retained its Tier 1 status in the U.S. State Department’s 2026 Trafficking in Persons Report, but the report warned that trafficking and other major cases can take up to four years to reach completion because of delays in the judicial system. It also noted 390 victims were identified in 2025, but only 25 were referred for care, while protection and prevention funding fell.